When I was paired with Elvin to work on Unstable Foundations, I was really impressed with his work as a designer and with big labels like Marvel. What I was more impressed with was what a joy it was to work with him. Also known as Zero-Point-Five (his Facebook), here’s a look at the artist behind our (and my) first work of partnership in comics. P/S - I told him to say whatever he needed to say for this interview, given how the both of us have worked together quite a bit for this project. Congratulations on the launch of Unstable Foundations! We both know that you were recommended to draw for this comic - what was is about the story that drew you to it? Thank you, I’m happy with another milestone achieved! Funnily enough, I wanted to work on this story because it’s not something I usually do. I’m more familiar with the superhero genre and Unstable Foundations was more of a drama with a historical background and I was interested in doing something different. How is this different or similar to the previous projects you’ve worked on? I’m used to the flashier and more action-packed comics of the superhero genre, so when it came to my quieter comics, those were my own stories and it was faster to make decisions on how to tell them. With Unstable Foundations, it was about interpreting the writer’s vision, and knowing how I could add to that vision. I loved the collaboration. It allowed me to question: How could I add to it? How do I respect the author’s perspective and put my own sensibility into it as well? I’d like to think that to some positive extent, the final work was nothing either of us expected and it’s a good thing we has some level of surprising ourselves in spite of being the creators. What would you say was the main challenge with Unstable Foundation and why? I think the main challenge for me was time (haha). Not that there wasn’t enough time given to finish the work, but I had a terrible schedule when it started and there were areas where I wish I had more time to explore and improve upon with the comic's writer. That being said, I’m still very proud of the final work. I think we worked on it as best as we could and still pulled off a great story in spite of the obstacles. We’ve seen your illustrations, comics, and designs in various comics, webpages, and artbooks - is there a particular type of art you find yourself being drawn to? I’m drawn to anything with a graphic edge… I know that sounds generic so I guess to be specific, the kind of art that really grabs me usually goes from one extreme of minimalism to the other of highly-detailed drawings. It’s all technical but I’m obsessed with silhouettes and tiny details at the same time. So you can see from my illustrations that my focus is usually on a strong shape with intricacy within. I find drawing details very interesting, it really feels like I’m building a little world from scratch. Other than the technical aspect, it’s usually whether the style suits the story that it’s telling. Stories that are personal to me will usually make me attracted to the art. And who are your influences on them? Mike Mignola and Leinel Yu for their strong graphic silhouettes and details. There are simply too many artists that inspire me because I love many genres of comics. Adrian Tomine is another writer/artist that I feel I will be influenced by soon. How has working with comic writers worked for you so far? Pretty great! Honestly, I still feel like my education is at its infancy but thus far, I’ve been really lucky to be able to work with writers who are highly cooperative and trust me with what I do. I’m looking forward to working with more writers. What are some tips you have for freelancers or artists working with writers or other creatives? I would say choose your projects wisely. If it’s a comic, it’s for the long haul so you need to identify with the aspect of the project that attracts you. It sounds silly but you’ll be amazed at how many times I walk into a project without thinking and regretted it later. Haha… If there’s nothing to work with, be it a good writer, a story you’re interested in offering a visual opinion on, or anything something to fuel your interest for the duration of the project, then you’re going to end up with a painful process. And if it’s just for the money, it’s not worth it. Aside from that, be professional and communicate always. It can seem tiring or minor, but checking with your team member on any concerns or brilliant ideas as often as possible really makes the project smoother. You have to remember it’s a collaboration. You have fewer than 30 words to promote anything you want - go! Check out Unstable Foundations now! Haha… Seriously, check it out and give us your thoughts. We would love to hear them. And check out the other titles of COSH studios too! And finally, any clue on what’s next for you? Not for the long haul yet… but I’ve been thinking of cleaning up my house, it’s a mess… … and after that, work on a long overdue personal comic project of mine haha.. Can’t really talk much about it except that it’s a fantasy story and there’s going to be lots of bloodshed (cue dramatic music). Other than that, keep my cats fed. # Drawing on his experiences in film, storyboarding, and cinematic art, Elvin has had work featured in Liquid City (Image Comics) and the comic book miniseries The Drift. You can find his work on Instagram (@elvching) and Facebook (Elvin Ching a.k.a. Zeropointfive)
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